Madrid - Estación de Atocha

Madrid is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. Madrid is part of the historical landscape of Castile and is located in the middle of the Meseta, the plateau of Castile.



The site of modern-day Madrid has been occupied since prehistoric times. The first document about the existence of an established settlement in Madrid dates from the Muslim age. In the second half of the 9th century Umayyad Emir Muhammad I built a fortress here. After the disintegration of the Caliphate of Córdoba in the early 11th century, Madrid was integrated into the Taifa of Toledo. In 1083, Madrid was conquered by the Kingdom of Castile. In 1309, under Fernando IV, the Assembly of Estates (Cortes) of the Kingdom of Castile was convened for the first time in Madrid.



In 1561, Philip II moved the royal court from Valladolid to Madrid. It became the de facto capital of Spain, which it remains to this day. In 1701 the War of the Spanish Succession broke out, which led to the Anglo-Portuguese occupation of the city in 1706. It ended in 1714 with the Bourbons taking over the Spanish throne. Today's royal palace was built under their rule. Particularly during the reign of Charles III, who is therefore popularly referred to as the “best mayor of Madrid”, the city's public infrastructure was modernized and numerous public buildings were built.

Atocha was created as a terminus station. The first station building on this site was built in 1851 as “Estación de Mediodía”, but fell victim to a fire and was replaced by the current building, which was inaugurated in 1892. The architect of the new wrought iron style station was Alberto de Palacio y Elissague, who worked with Gustave Eiffel. Atocha train station is located in the center of the city, not far from the Botanical Gardens and the Prado Museum.

With the expansion of Chamartín station in the 1980s, Atocha temporarily lost its main station function but regained it when it was designated as the northern terminus of the Madrid-Seville line, which opened in 1992. Since a new, much larger platform hall was put into operation south of it to handle high-speed trains, there is a tropical palm garden under the huge vault of the old station hall, which is used as a waiting hall and meeting point.